fly

HooooRah! Great job little Miss!:toot:

No club for me, but when managing we avoid all button, 1.5 year old and 2.5 year old bucks. Anything else is fair game.

I love teaching my kids to hunt and my focus is more about them getting the best spot or the big buck. However, I still love to pull the trigger, I just put my kids first now.

Seems like this time of year one sees a bunch or nothing at all. Glad you're seeing a bunch!

I really like that buck! His wet head in the first pic makes him stand out! I think I'll ask my taxi if he could get that look on the next one I get. Tell ya what, Pope and Young or not, I'd take that buck any day and he'd be on my wall. Congratulations!

Good luck in Montana! Yea the October lull is something I'm just finding out about. However, my second biggest buck was a 161 inch shot on October 12th in 06. I saw 16 deer that evening. This year I've yet to see more than 2 deer on any hunt and I've yet to see anything with antlers. The more I go and see nothing, the more special it makes it when I go and do!

That's great Dale! I took my 8 year old out last weekend during the youth season and saw nothing! She's a trooper though and she'll be out next year. I figure I have to get her hooked now because when the early teen years hit getting her out will be a lot harder. Hope you two have a great hunt!

Alan (Rhino) is right about the scores. I have a 171 gross typical that netted 162 and made it into the awards category for B&C. Awards category means it only gets published in one book for that time period. A typical has to NET 170 inches to make it in the ALL TIME book that is updated and published every some odd number of years. Looks like a 5X5 with a lot of trash. I doubt there is enough trash to go the non-typical route - 185 (Awards). I do think you'll make the 160 typical (Awards). All the trash doesn't help a bit for a typical score though so I'd say he'll be right at 170 inches net. Awards for sure, All-time (it'll be close but I'm leaning towards saying he'll make it).

Weapons that don't need to be sighted in: Atomic bomb, gernade, sword, hole in the ground with spikes sticking up. Weapons that do need to be sighted in: Everything else. Alan, take the shotgun with you hunting (after sighting it in), but leave the guys you're talking to at home. Better stick to the forums for any hunting advice.

Elk from our family vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park this past summer

Congratulations sky! The Mrs's made button buck roast tonight and man was it awesome! Cooked it in a crockpot for about 7 hours. Carrots, potatoes, celery and fall apart venison! Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine! I know how it is not having someone around to snap a photo. I carry a small digital camera with me that has a self-timer. I put that self-timer to good use. Might want to think about picking one up. No worries about entering the score from me, I'm just happy you connected!

We all know backing out is the right call, but it sure is hard sometimes. Bet she isn't more than a hundred yards from the shot spot! Hopefully you will not have a bunch of briars to wade through Tim! Bucks/does... it never gets old does it?

Congratulations! Great Buck! IL or MO? I'd say smack is right on with 145 gross. Unfortunately his left G-5 will not count for the net score, but he'll still make P&Y easy! I'll say 137 net. Not sure what you want to spend? Schwartz in St. Louis is one of the best, but also really expensive. Mark Short (Buck Fever taxidermy) in Brighton IL. does my taxi work now. I'm very happy with his work and he only charges $350.00 for a full shoulder mount. Below is my 08 buck he did for me. Got it back a couple months ago. His turn around time is about 8-9 months. His shop is about an hour from St. Louis, but worth the drive in my opinion. Shoot me a PM if you need more info.

Cool temps will help salvage the meat. Hope you find her.

Congratulations! He's a beauty. Looks like I'm seeing some grey? How old?

Time to put the old Tinks 69 to work! Best of luck to you Tink!

If your seizures are controlled then I wouldn't let that keep me out of a tree. Do you drive or bike ride? That is much more risky in my opinion. If you can't find a buddy then let someone know where you will be and what time to expect you back. Also fasten a charged cell phone to you so if you fall out and the harness catches you you'll be able to call for help if needed. Place some screw steps in the tree a few inches higher than the level your feet would be at in case you do fall and are suspended by the harness. That way you can relieve the pressure created by the harness. It's a lot of work, but never compromise on your safety. Practice in a park or at home several times before you hunt. After a while you'll have a system down and you'll be set in no time.

Hey Ruth I know exactly what you're talking about! I know everyone will say it's too early, but Christmas music in October rules! I'm a big Christmas fan and look foward to it every year. The Time Life Christmas collection has been playing in my truck since October 1st. I look foward to driving just to listen to the music. It's so soothing and relaxing and since I'm still looking foward to Christmas it's not a downer. On the rare day that Christmas music doesn't do it for me then I put on Metallica. (strange... but for whatever reason it works).

Don't let them scare you off because you are not familiar with them. Climbers are as safe as any treestand when used properly. Sounds like your situation is ideal for a climber. There are different styles, but for a beginner I'd suggest a Summit Viper. If you have good upper body strength the Summit open shot delux would be a good choice as well. Go to this website and order the safety and instructional DVD's. They are free! http://www.summitstands.com/catalog.aspx?catid=treestandhuntingvideosdvds

Here in S. Illinois the only phesant hunting is stocked places. Generally they are packed with hunters. As a teen I was hunting in our designated area walking the edge of some standing corn. All of a sudden several birds flew up. I didn't have a shot, but I heard gun shot from the other side of the field (maybe 75 yards away). Then I heard the first wave of pellets coming through the corn. Luckily it was cold and I had a big coat on. I turned and took the shots to the back. I wasn't hurt, but it sure scared me. Now walking through standing corn always spooks me.

Buckee that figure is sitting on my computer desk right now as I type this!:clown: When I'm deer hunting I find deer spot movement more than any type of color. They also don't like things that shouldn't be there.

A pile of guts is gonna attract yotes or other criters. I'll drag the animal to an area I don't hunt and field dress it there. I also avoid field dressing on trails or near someone elses stand/setup.

Ethan, you have super fingernail growth. Congratulations! Wish I had 300 acres to hunt on.

Thanks for the tips. Randy's lul theory seems to make the most sense. Normally I'm hunting that spot opening day (October 1st). I see a ton early October, but then the action dies down. I always contributed it to my heavy early season hunting pressure, but perhaps it was due to a mid-October lul. It also makes sense that deer know when something is different no matter how brushed in it is. I'm not big on blind hunting for deer, but with an 8 year old that can't hardly sit still for more than a few minutes it seems to make sense.:clown: Alan, the wind was blowing in our faces the entire time. I don't think that was it. The scent of the blind (10 days in the field) may have contributed to the deer vacating the area? We get another shot in December. I bought her a ML tag. If it is not too cold we'll try again. However, I'm thinking I may just put up the blind on the day of the hunt.